Managing the Microbiological Safety and Stability of Ready-to-eat Meat
Illnesses caused by foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, as well as their control, are major worldwide public health issues. The prevention and/or reduction of foodborne disease has been, and continues to be, a major goal of societies that dates back to when food was first preserved by drying and salting.[1] Currently there is a much greater public concern about (and less tolerance towards) health risks associated with foods than risks from other manufactured products, such as cars and tobacco. Due to the biological nature of food and the emergence/evolution of potentially deadly microorganisms, the socioeconomic impact of foodborne illness is well chronicled. Pressure for new and stricter enforcement of food safety regulations typically gains momentum with highly publicized incidents of food contamination, such as those that have been associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Salmonella, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes.
Control of food-related microbial risks involves procedures to eliminate or minimize the presence of specific groups of microorganisms, their by-products and/or their toxins. While the total elimination of foodborne disease remains an unattainable goal, both government public health managers and the food industry are committed to reducing the number of illnesses due to contaminated food.[1] Assessing the public health (safety) status of a food is a risk-based activity as well as a conundrum. That is, what is an acceptable level of risk and for whom is that level appropriate? With this as a backdrop, consider the following definition of food safety: “Food safety is the biological, chemical or physical status of a food that will permit its consumption without incurring excessive risk of injury, morbidity or mortality.”